Destiny
by DreamWvr73
Summary: MacGyver and Gillian discuss what might have been, would they still have ended up together if they had chosen a different road?


MacGyver and Gillian were cleaning their house, they had decided to go room by room and thoroughly clean everything. They had started when the sun came up, cleaning the kitchen and the garage. They were now in the living room. 

Gillian was in grungy clothes, a torn pink t-shirt and raggedy light blue jean shorts. She was standing on top of a small step ladder; she had a can of furniture polish and a raggedy cloth. She was taking everything down from the mantle above the fireplace. There were all sorts of pictures, she moved some larger ones aside and found a large glass dome. The glass dome with the light wooden base was covered in thick dust. She took the rag out of her back pocket and wiped it off. There were two dolls inside of the dome and she smiled as she picked it up.

"Hey Mac?"

_"Yeah?"_ Her husband was finishing up the garage.

"Can you come here please?"

A few seconds went by and her husband came into the living room. He had on a medium blue muscle shirt and black shorts. He was covered with dirt and dust. He saw his wife standing on the little step ladder with the glass dome in her hands.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Gillian smiled. "Yeah."

"I thought we lost them." He walked over to her and took the glass dome from her.

"Me too but it was here all the time, we just had them buried behind some pictures."

Mac peeked through the glass, he saw two small dolls. One was a baby Miss Piggy doll, the other was a baby Kermit the Frog doll. 

"Do you remember when we got those dolls?"

MacGyver lifted his head and looked at his wife. "Yeah I remember, it was our very first Christmas together."

Gillian nodded. "Right, I bought you the baby Kermit."

"And I bought you the baby Miss Piggy."

She climbed down from the step ladder and looked through the glass at the dolls. "Putting them in this glass was a great idea. They look exactly like they did when we first got them."

"Yeah they do."

Mac sat down on the couch; he was leaning forward still looking at the dome that contained their two dolls. Gillian saw his face and sat down beside him.

"What is it?" She put her hand on his back and rubbed it.

MacGyver sighed and turned his head to look at his wife. "Gill, have you ever thought about what might have happened if we hadn't met at the Foundation?"

The young woman was taken aback by his question. "You mean would we have still met?"

Her husband nodded. "Yeah, that's what I mean."

Gillian licked her lips and pressed them together. "I think we would have met some other way."

Mac creased his brow. "How?"

The young woman simply smiled. "Well, for example..."

MacGyver was lying in the small twin size hospital bed. He sighed as he looked down at himself. He saw his left arm and his right leg both wrapped in thick, heavy plaster casts.  He had been riding in the back of his friend's pickup truck and had gotten thrown out of it. Luckily the trip had only fractured his arm and his leg; the doctor told him he could have easily broken his neck. He would have to spend the next 6 weeks in the hospital while he healed. 

Mac shifted in the bed, his arm and leg complaining as he did so. Both of the bones were throbbing and it was starting to bother him. The bed he was in had thick beige plastic rails on both sides; he saw a red button on the right side. He lifted his hand and pressed his thumb against it, calling for the nurse.

The large wooden door opened and a young woman with light blue scrubs and bright red hair walked into the room, she smiled at the newest member of the ward.

"Hi." 

MacGyver saw her; he was in a rather foul mood and was scowling. "Can I have something for pain please?"

"Sure, I'll get you some mild pain pills."  
She left the room and returned with two packets of pills and a beige pitcher of fresh ice water. She moved the tray so that it was close to him and gently set the pitcher down. She reached into her pocket and took out two beige cups. She set one of them down on the little nightstand next to the bed and filled the other one up with water.

"Here you go; these should give you some relief." She tore open the packages and held the two pills in her fingers.  

Mac stretched out his right hand and took the pills from her; he put them in his mouth and took the cup of water she offered. He swallowed the pills down, wrinkling his nose as he did so.  "Yuck."

The young woman smiled. "I know they taste terrible but they work good." She fluffed his pillows a little bit and adjusted the sheet higher on his chest. "There, that's better." She picked up the television remote from the nightstand and placed it on the edge of the bed. "In case you want to watch some TV." 

MacGyver nodded, he sighed and shifted again in the bed trying to get comfortable. 

The young nurse saw this. "Are you uncomfortable?"

"A little."

"Well we can fix that."

She walked over to the end of the bed and stood behind his head. "Let me guess, you want to shift more towards the right, right?"

"Yeah."

She leaned over, removing his pillows and gently placed her hands underneath his arms. "Okay, on the count of three, we'll shift you more towards the right, okay?"

"Okay."

"One, two, three."

Together the two people shifted Mac to the right without causing him any pain. He sighed out of relief, he was much more comfortable. The nurse put his pillow back behind his head and walked around to the right side of the bed.

"Better?"

MacGyver nodded, he felt terrible for how cold he had been to the young woman. She was a nurse and only doing her job, it wasn't her fault he had flown out of the back of a pickup truck.

The nurse gave him another smile. "I'm going to leave you to rest now, if you need anything call me."

"I will."

She started to leave, heading out the door. "Nurse?" She turned back around and faced her patient. "Yes?"

The broken up blond man gave her a slight smile. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"What's your name?"

She walked back over to the bed and stuck out her hand. "Gillian MacKenzie."

MacGyver gently took her hand and shook it. "MacGyver."

"Nice to meet you."

"Same here, although I wish it wasn't under these circumstances." He looked down at himself.

"Don't worry about it." She checked her watch. "I'll be back in a couple of hours with your dinner. You just get some rest and call me if you need anything."

Mac nodded his head. "I will Gillian, thanks."

"My pleasure." She gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go and leaving the room.

Gillian came out of the room; the other 4 nurses on the floor were watching her. She looked at each one of them. There was a dark haired one, two blonds, one with short straight hair and the other with long hair. The leader of the pack was a tall black haired woman; she was in her mid thirties and built like a brick house. Her name was Wanda Rubenstein; she was eyeing the young nurse.

"So, did you come out of there alive?"

Gillian nodded. "Yeah, is that why you all are staring at me?"

Patricia Carlson was a petite woman with short blond hair that was cut to her ears; she was in standard green scrubs. "Yeah that's the reason."

"Why? What is wrong with MacGyver?"

Kristina Tarring flung her dark brown hair over her shoulder. "More like MacBear, he has been a jerk ever since he got here two days ago."

Wanda scoffed. "Jerk isn't the right word! I went to draw blood from him yesterday and he asked me if I parked my broom outside the door before I went in." She was scowling. "I have never seen a more lousy patient in all my years as a nurse."

Gillian bit her lip trying not to laugh; Wanda was not known for her gentility when it came to dealing with patients. "He's just upset about being here that's all."

Tara Hinkley was the other blond woman; she had beautiful long hair tied in a bun. "It's more than that Gill, he's mad at the whole world."

Wanda put her hand up. "All right, let's change the subject; we _all _have work to do." She picked up her clipboard and went to go start taking her vital signs. The other three nurses all nodded their heads in agreement and tended to their duties.

Gillian had just finished with her medication distribution when there was a loud crashing sound coming from room 305. That was the room MacGyver was in. 

Gillian parked the medicine cart near the nurse's station. She approached the room and stood near the door. The heavy wooden door was thrown open and Wanda came out, she was breathing hard. Gillian looked at her with wide eyes.

"What happened?"

The large woman wiped her hand down her face. "As far as I'm concerned, you can _have_ that blond pain in the butt Gill. Since he was civil to you, he's all yours."

"Why what happened?"

"I tried to give him a sponge bath and he flat refused to let me! Just let him stink up the ward!"

Gillian touched her on the arm. "Now just calm down Wanda, go get yourself some coffee. I'll take care of MacGyver, okay?"

The black haired woman took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Fine, go ahead." She walked away, the sound of her tennis shoes squeaking as she walked down the hall and headed for the nurses' lounge.

Gillian took a deep breath and let it out slowly; she opened the door and walked into the room. She saw her patient; the sheet he was supposed to be under was crumpled up and thrown on the floor. He turned and looked at her, a scowl on his face. "I don't want that woman coming back in here." 

"Now just take it easy MacGyver before I go get a tranquilizer gun and shoot you in the rump. Although according to what I've heard from the nurses that might not be a bad idea." She pushed the cart that contained the two small plastic tubs of water and clean washcloths aside. "So, you want to tell me why you gave Wanda a hard time?"

Mac took a deep breath and sighed. "Instead of helping me get undressed for this she just flung back my covers and demanded I strip. I tried but when I wasn't going fast enough she grabbed my pants and pulled them so hard she jerked my leg. She didn't even care that she hurt it."

Gillian nodded. "Well now I am the one here to clean you up. Are you going to let me?"

"As long as you aren't like Attila the Nurse."

The young woman smiled. "I'm not like that." She went to the closet that was in the room and took down from the top shelf a folded up sheet.  "Okay." She unfolded the sheet partly and set it across his waist. "We'll start with your upper body, okay?"

MacGyver looked at the young woman and nodded. "Okay."

Gillian smiled and pressed the button on the bed, the upper half of it started to flatten out some. She stopped it and started untying the strings at the top of her patient's gown. She did the left side and then the right, lowering the neckline.  The nurse moved the cart with the sponge bath supplies close to the bed. She ducked a washcloth and gently dabbed a bit of soap onto it. She worked up a nice lather and started with his face. "Close your eyes."

Mac was trying to relax; he wasn't thrilled that someone had to wash him like he was a child. Still he knew that because of his arm and leg he had little choice. He closed his eyes. 

Gillian smoothed some of his hair away from his forehead and started wiping his face with the cloth. She traced it down every part of it before rinsing it and washing off his neck as well.  She started wiping down his chest.

"See it isn't so bad now is it?" She put the washcloth back in the tub and started to hike up his hospital gown, he had light blue hospital pants under it. 

Mac opened his eyes and looked at her. "No in fact it feels really nice." He used his one free hand to help her lift his hospital gown over his head. 

Gillian opened the sheet and draped it across his waist. "Good I'm glad."

She picked the washcloth up out of the tub and rinsed it; she added a drop more of the soap and started washing his chest and his arms. She can only do the left one partly because of the cast.

"That tickles." MacGyver squirmed as the nurse lifted his arms and washed down his sides.

"Sorry." Gillian wrung out the cloth and set it aside. She picked up a fresh one, wet it and added soap to it. "If you sit up I'll do your back."

Mac put his hand on the bedrail and as carefully as he could, sat up. He bent over a little, as far as he could. Gillian wiped his back down; she picked up another washcloth and dunked in the second tub. She wiped it down with the fresh cloth. "Okay, you can lay back down now." She took the fresh wash cloth and traced it over everything she had already washed, rinsing off her patient. 

The young woman took the used washcloths and set them on the second shelf of the cart. She took two more clean ones and wet them both, adding a few drops of soap to one. She pulled the tray over close to him and sets the two cloths down on it. She could feel her face slightly blush. "I'm sure you know what these are for."

MacGyver also felt his face grow warm. "Yes and I appreciate that, it lets me keep at least _some_ of my dignity."

Gillian laughed. "Need any help getting undressed?"

The blond man with the slightly red face nodded. "I could use a little help."

The top of his hospital pants had a drawstring on them. "Well you untie the string and start to pull them down." Gillian unfolded the sheet more; she made sure it covered her patient sufficiently. She pulled the end of it back enough to uncover his legs.

Mac stuck his hand under the sheet and untied the string. "Okay, it's untied."

Gillian touched the pants on the lower leg area, mindful of his cast. She pulled them down and simply removed them without causing her patient any embarrassment. "There, you are pantless and your dignity is intact."

MacGyver nodded, he was impressed. "You're good."

The nurse took the pants and the used washcloths, along with the sheet that was on the floor. "I'll just take all these to the laundry and get you some clean pants. Just press the button and I'll come back."

"Okay, I will."

Gillian could still feel her red face as she pulled the curtain around his bed and left the room.

The buzzer started to go off, Gillian was sitting at the nurse's station. She picked up two pairs of hospital pants and opened the door to his room. She stood outside the closed curtain.

"MacGyver? Is it okay for me to open the curtain?"

"Yeah come on in."

Gillian flung back the curtain, she noticed the two washcloths she had left had been tossed on the second shelf of her cart. "I brought a pair of black pants and a pair of blue pants." She set them aside and picked up two more clean washcloths and dunked them. "Ready for me to continue?"

Mac was sitting up in bed, he nodded. "Okay."

Gillian lifted the sheet a little higher, exposing his knees. She started there and wiped her way down his legs. This caused her patient to squirm and laugh; he reached down and touched the washcloth. "I can't take that, it tickles too much."

"Well I have to wash your legs; I can't leave you only half washed."

MacGyver let go of her hand. "Okay I'll try and keep still."

"Thank you." She made it down his legs, watching him put his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. She made it to his feet and gave them a fast wipe down. She got the other washcloth out of the rinse water and quickly wiped down his leg and feet rinsing them.

"Okay I'm done Mr. Giggles."

Mac uncovered his mouth. "I'm sorry I can't help being ticklish."

"Which pants do you want to wear?"

He looked at his two options. "Blue please."

"Blue it is." She unfolded them and covered his feet with them; she started pulling them as high as his knees. They were way too big for him but because of his cast they had to be. "Can you reach them?"

MacGyver stuck his hand under the sheet and grabbed the pants; he pulled them up all the way. "Yeah I got it." He pulled them all the way up and tied the string. "Okay, you can take off the sheet."

Gillian pulled the sheet off and waded it up. "Now comes the fun part."

"There's more."

"Well sure, when you take a shower what do you wash besides your body?"

Mac sighed. "My hair."

"Right, you _do_ want nice clean hair don't you?"

"Sure but how do we do that if I'm stuck in a bed?"

Gillian smiled. "Promise you won't laugh or get grossed out?"

The blond man nodded. "I promise."

She smiled proudly. "Well I made this thing I use for washing my patients hair. It is a combination of a bed pan and a little tub like the ones on the cart. It works great and there is no mess."

MacGyver gave the nurse a wide grin, he started to laugh. "Believe me Gillian; I'm not going to make fun of your invention. I've taken a few odd things and slapped them together lots of times."

The young woman smiled. "Okay, I'll go get it and we'll wash your hair."

Mac had carefully been moved to a reclining chair that Gillian had taken from the physical therapy room down the hall. He was leaning back in it; his head was in Gillian's odd little invention. The tub was deep but being attached to the bed pan kept his head from being totally immersed in the water. There was a few inches space for the rinse water to go. 

Gillian was sitting behind him; she had a small beige pitcher of warm water and poured it on his hair. She set it down and picked up a small bottle of honey shampoo and put a good amount into her hand. She put her hands in his hair and started washing it.

MacGyver sighed and closed his eyes; the feel of her fingers in his hair was relaxing. "Wow this is nice, you keep this up and I'll go to sleep."

Gillian smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't fall asleep."

"I can't make any promises."

"Do you want me to shave you when I'm done or do you think you can handle it?"

"I'm not sure to tell you the truth."

The nurse worked her fingers through the top and sides of his hair. She picked up the pitcher of warm water and started rinsing off the sweet smelling lather. "Well we'll try it."

Gillian set the pitcher down and started squeezing out the excess water from his hair. She had a large towel next to her, she unfolded it. "Okay, lift your head."

MacGyver did as she asked; she quickly got her invention out of the way and wrapped the towel around his wet hair. "There!" She put her hands on his shoulders and helped him sit up. 

Gillian got up from her chair and moved it to sit in front of him. She was sitting as close as she could without hitting his broken leg. She was drying his hair and took the towel from his head. His wet hair was sticking up and she snickered.

"You look like a spiky haired demon."

Mac looked at her sideways. "Thanks a lot." He leaned back in the chair and sighed.

Gillian smiled at her patient. "You have a brush and all that?"

"Yeah, my shaving kit is in the nightstand."

The nurse got up from the chair and went over to the nightstand; the only thing on top of it was a small black radio. She opened the first drawer and found a black shaving kit and a silver hair brush. "Aha found them." She closed the drawer and brought them back over to the dark blue reclining chair. There was a tray on the side of it, she lifted it and put it across her patient. "Okay let's see what we got here."

Mac was watching as she unzipped his shaving kit. "I think my razor is in there."

"Well if there isn't we have some here." She rummaged through the kit, taking out his white toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. "No razor or shaving cream."

He sighed and wiped his hand down his face, he touched his chin and felt the two days worth of beard he had. "Nice, and I really need to shave too."

Gillian picked up the brush and started brushing his hair. "I'll go get a razor and some cream."

MacGyver reached up and gently grabbed her wrist. "I may be one handed but I can still brush my hair."

The nurse turned a little red. "Oh I know but I washed it so I might as well go all the way and comb it too."

"And what will you give me if I let you?"

Gillian shrugged. "Well since I'm playing with your hair so I'll let you braid mine tomorrow."

He lifted his other hand, showing the cast that went from his above his elbow to covering half of his hand. "I can't braid with this cast on."

She sighed. "Okay what can I do then?"

MacGyver looked at her, her bright red hair was tied up in a French twist, secured to her head with a clip. "Wear your hair down tomorrow."

"Deal." She finished brushing his hair and set the brush down. She got up and brought over the pitcher of water and both of the cups she had brought. She filled them with both up with water and set them down on the tray in front of him. "Here, brush your teeth while I go find you a razor."

"Okay." Mac picked up his toothbrush and dunked it in the water. He opened the toothpaste and squeezed a dab of the white paste onto the brush. 

Gillian watched as he started brushing his teeth. "I'll be right back." She got up and left the room in search of a razor and shaving cream.

The redheaded nurse returned with a small plastic bag. Her patient was leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed.

"MacGyver you are in luck, I got you a whole kit."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "What's in it?"

Gillian sat back down in her chair; she moved the two cups of water aside and put his toothbrush and toothpaste back in his shaving kit. "Let's see, we have one razor, one small can of shaving cream, one small deodorant, one bottle of mouthwash and one comb." She took everything out and laid it out in front of him.

He looked down at everything. "Oh good I could use all of it."

"Yeah." She gathered everything up and tucked it into his shaving kit except for the shaving gear. She looked at his face. "Well shall we try and shave you?"

Mac nodded. "Yeah let me see if I can do it."

"Okay." Gillian got up and opened the middle drawer of his nightstand; she took out a small plastic basin and went over to his sink. She filled it with warm water and picked up a washcloth, she brought them back and them down in front of him. "There you go."

"Umm…got a mirror?"

"Oh! Hold on there's one right here in the tray." The young woman got up and put both hands on the side of the tray. She pushed it away from him and a little area just under the edge of the tray was uncovered. She pressed down on something and a little mirror popped up.  "There you go."

Mac saw himself in the mirror. "Yikes I look like Grizzly Adams." He reached out and put his hand in the basin, he patted his face with the warm water.

Gillian sat back down. "You do not."

"That's what you think." He picked up the can of shaving foam with his left hand and carefully pressed the button, a good amount of foam came out onto his fingers and he began putting it all over his face.

"I'm anxious to see what you look like without all that beard."

He set the can back down and picked up the razor, he began shaving his face. "It won't be much of an improvement."

The nurse sighed and leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. 

MacGyver shaved half of his face; he rinsed his razor and began to shave the other half. He was looking at the young woman.

"So how long have you been a nurse?"

"This is my 5th year."

"Wow 5 years, do you like it?"

Gillian yawned. "Yeah I do, a lot. It makes me feel good taking care of people."

He finished shaving and he wet the washcloth and wiped the excess foam off of his face. "There, all done."

Gillian opened her eyes, they widened a little when she saw her patient. Without all that stubble on his face MacGyver was a very handsome man. 

"Wow look at you!" She smiled at him. "You look great, how do you feel?"

"Better, a whole lot better. Thanks for helping me clean up."

She gave him a little bow of her head. "You are very welcome."

Mac returned her smile. "Can I get back into my bed now?"

"Sure, no problem." The young woman nodded as she started cleaning up everything.

Gillian came back into the room at 6 o'clock; she had a dinner tray in her hands as she walked into the room. The first thing she saw was her patient sitting up in bed. He was still without a hospital gown and simply lounging around in his pants. He had his hospital tray in front of him and it was covered with parts and circuit boards. MacGyver had his Swiss Army knife and was messing with something.

"What in the world are you doing?"

Mac turned and looked at his visitor. "Oh hey Gill, what's for dinner?"

She set the tray down on the nightstand and looked over the bits and pieces scattered all over the tray. "Baked turkey, what did you take apart?"

"My radio, the one on my nightstand."

Gillian looked and saw that the black radio was gone. "Why?"

"Because it wasn't working when I turned it on."

Gillian nodded. "Oh, I didn't know you could fix stuff like that." She was watching him. "Do you know what the problem is?"

"Yeah, a busted wire, got any handy?"

The nurse shook her head. "Not really no, this is a hospital not a hardware store."

Mac sighed and tilted his head back, he was thinking of an alternative. One came to mind and he lifted his head. "I need something to carry a current, got a paperclip or maybe a bobby pin?"

"I'm sure we have some paperclips, I'll go get one."

Gillian left the room and came back with two small paperclips, she handed them both to MacGyver. "Will these do?"

The blond man smiled. "Those are perfect, thanks." He took them from the palm of her hand and stretched them both out. He attached them to a circuit board and started putting the radio back together.

"You have very good hands." 

Mac turned and looked at the young woman. "I've been told that once or twice."

"Here is your dinner." She lifted the lid on the tray. "Two slices of turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes and one tiny container of chocolate pudding. They also gave you milk and juice to drink."

"Sounds good."

"Yeah, well I better let you eat. I'll be back later."

"Okay." He smiled at her and watched as the young woman left the room.

Gillian was smiling widely the next day as she came into her patient's room. She had on blueberry blue scrubs and her hair was up in a bun. It was 7 am and MacGyver was still asleep, he was lying partially on his right side the covers pulled up to his neck. 

Gillian had a large paper bag with handles on it; she sat down on the end of his bed. "Morning."

She turned and looked at him; the sun light was streaming in through the partially closed blinds. The light was illuminating his face and hair. Gillian was getting a very good look at her patient. His relaxed, peacefully sleeping face only made him all the more handsome. His blond hair looked even lighter in the bright sunlight. She swallowed hard as she reached out and gently touched his hair. He stirred and she quickly straightened up. He squinted his eyes as he looked at the person sitting at the foot of his bed.

"Gill?"

"Yeah, it's me." She got up and stood closer to his head.

MacGyver stretched and moved the blue blanket and sheet aside. "What time is it?"

"A little after 7."

She lifted the bag and showed it to him. "I brought you some things."

He pressed the button on the side rail and the top of the bed started to move up into a sitting position. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Gillian smiled widely as she got the chair from the other side of the room and sat down. She opened her bag and pulled out a large blue box. "This is a robot kit." She handed it to him. "There are even specs to make a motor and a remote control."

MacGyver looked down at the box; the young woman was speaking the truth. The kit said he could make any kind of robot he wanted and it would move when a motor was put into it. He had seen a similar kit in his favorite hobby store and it had cost 60 dollars. He sighed and looked at the nurse. 

"Gill I can't take this, it cost a lot of money."

The redheaded nurse shrugged. "It's okay; I wanted to get it for you. I know how bored you get; I figured you would enjoy it." She smiled at him. "And that's not all." She pulled a small tool kit out of the bag. "Here is a tool kit; it will have everything you'll need to build your robot."

Mac took the black plastic case and opened it. It had screw drivers, wrenches, a small hammer and a small sodering gun. He closed it and set it down on his bed. "I can't believe you did this for me."

He reached out and gently touched her hand. "Thank you."

She touched the hand that was on top of hers. "You're welcome. I was going to get you a couple of model cars but I thought you would like this more."

MacGyver nodded. "I used to build stuff like this when I was a kid. I haven't done a robot in years."

Gillian snapped her fingers. "Hey I almost forgot something."

Mac shook his head. "Now what?"

"Just a promise I made to you."

She folded up the paper bag and stood up, putting the bag on the cushion of the chair. Her hands reached up and she began removing bobby pins from her hair. She finally pulled out the last one and shook out her head. Her long red hair uncurled itself from the tight bun she had twisted it into. The bright red tendrils cascaded down her chest and back. 

MacGyver was watching, his eyes grew slightly round as he watched her run her fingers through her hair. His heart started beating hard within his chest. He licked his lips and pressed them together. 

Gillian was a very beautiful woman and for the first time, he noticed this fact. 

"Well what do you think? Do you like my hair better this way?" She was smiling as she touched her hair.

Mac nodded his head slightly. "Beautiful…" He was staring and he snapped back to reality. "Your hair, it's really beautiful."

"Thanks." The way he was looking at her made her face flush. "Well I better go bring your breakfast."

"Yeah, I'm hungry."

Gillian nodded. "I'll be right back. Why don't you open up your kit and see what's in it?"  
"Yeah I'll do that."

The nurse turned around and headed for the door, Mac watched her as she left his room. He couldn't wait until she got back and this surprised him.

Over the course of the next few weeks MacGyver's bones continued to heal. It was getting close to the holidays and the fact he would have to spend them laid up in the hospital only added to the depression he was feeling. He was unable to move, unable to walk and worst of all he couldn't go home. He was reading a book Gillian had brought him from her home; it was a book on Atlantis. He sighed and laid it down on his chest.

"What's the matter? The lost continent not exciting enough for you?" Gillian was standing at the door to his room, holding his dinner tray.

MacGyver saw her and shook his head. "No, it's not that."

The young woman walked into the room and set the tray down on his hospital tray. She was in light pink scrubs, her long red hair French braided down her back. She sat down on the edge of his bed. "Then what is it?"

Mac rubbed his hand down his face and licked his lips. "Christmas is in three weeks, I already had to spend Thanksgiving here and now I'll have to spend Christmas too." He looked away from her. "I was going to go visit my Grandfather in Colorado, now I won't be able to go."

Gillian reached out and gently touched his arm. "I'm sorry Mac, I know how awful it must be in here for you but you have to give yourself time to heal."

He nodded his head slowly. "I know, I just wish I could see Harry again. He's all that's left of my family. He's getting older and we might not have too many more Christmas' together."

Gillian looked down at the bed for a moment. "I know what that feels like; I'm the last one too. My parents died 9 years ago in a plane crash."

MacGyver touched the young woman's hand. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks, it hasn't been easy but I've managed to survive, I've had to."

He looked at the young woman; he could see in her dark eyes that she was very strong. But there was something else that he noticed, she had a very kind heart and genuinely cared for all of her patients. He admired her for her obvious strength and courage. "It isn't easy being the only one is it?"

"No, it isn't." 

Gillian cleared her throat and moved the tray closer to him, she lifted the lid. The selection for dinner that night was roast, baked potato, peach cobbler and green beans. There was also a carton of milk and a small container of apple juice.

"Well, you better eat your dinner before it gets cold."

Mac looked at the food and wrinkled his nose. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."

The young woman looked him sideways. "Come on Mac you _have to eat if you want to get better."_

He pushed the tray away from the bed. "I don't want it and even if I did it's pretty awful."

"Oh come on now it can't be _that bad."_

"Be my guest."

"All right I will." She unwrapped the fork and knife and cut a small piece of the roast; she put in her mouth and started to chew. Within a few seconds she wrinkled her nose. MacGyver couldn't help but laugh at the terrible face she made.

"See, I told you."

Gillian forced herself to swallow the roast. "Yuck! You poor thing no wonder you don't want to eat."

He finally stopped laughing and sighed. "Breakfast and lunch aren't too bad but its dinner that leaves a lot to be desired."

"I can see why." She could still taste the roast in her mouth, it made her shudder.  She checked her watch and saw she was getting ready to go off duty. This gave the woman an idea. "I tell you what; I get off in 10 minutes, how about I go pick us up some real food?"

MacGyver's face brightened. "You would?"

Gillian nodded. "Sure, what do you want?"

He grinned at young woman. "Gill I'm absolutely dying for a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake."

"All right, I know where the best cheeseburgers in town are, I'll go grab us a couple and be back in two shakes."

Gillian gave his hand a quick pat before leaving the room.

MacGyver was dozing lightly; he heard the sound of his door opening and turned his head towards it. He opened his eyes and saw Gillian had come back.

"Hi."

She was dressed in a white tank top and dark blue shorts; her red hair was in a pony tail. Both of MacGyver's eyebrows went up. He was surprised by how she looked; he was used to seeing her in scrubs. He also couldn't help but notice that the young woman had a very nice body. She had a small waist, shapely hips and long legs. He was amazed at how beautiful she was, the scrubs she wore had kept her lovely figure a secret. 

Mac swallowed hard. "Hi."

She was holding a white paper bag in her hands. "Tada! I brought us dinner."

"Oh you are an angel of mercy."

Gillian snickered as she crossed the room and sat down on the side of his bed. She opened her bag. "Let's see what I have in here." She pulled out a foil covered hamburger. "A nice fat cheeseburger for you." 

MacGyver took it from her and unwrapped it; he took a bite and sighed. "Oh man, that's good."

She took one out for herself along with a large order of fries that she set down on the tray. "Here, have a fry, there are enough for both of us."

He picked up a couple of fries and put them in his mouth, he smiled at her. "I'm sorry if I seem like a pig."

Gillian bit into her hamburger and put her hand up. "No need to apologize, the food here is horrible I don't blame you for being desperate for decent food." She pulled two large shakes out of the bag and handed one to him. "Here you go, one strawberry shake."

MacGyver set his half eaten hamburger down and sipped his shake. He closed his eyes and relished in how good it tasted. "Wow that really hits the spot."

"Yeah I know."

Mac carefully sat up; he leaned forward and kissed the young woman on the cheek. "Thanks for the food." He gave her a smile.

Gillian could feel her face grow warm. "It was my pleasure." She was looking at him, she realized she was staring and quickly looked away. "It's no fun to eat dinner alone."

"No it's not, I'm glad you're here Gillian. You have really made me feel better."

The young woman smiled. "Well it's my job."

Mac shook his head. "No it isn't, it's your job to take care of my body but I think you've gone beyond your duty. You've taken care of my spirit too, if it wasn't for you I would have gone insane my first few days here." He reached out and touched her hand. "You've been a real friend to me Gill; you've made this place a whole lot easier to deal with."

Gillian gently curled her fingers around his hand. "I do consider you my friend Mac, and friends take care of each other."

It was Thursday afternoon and MacGyver was working on the motor that would eventually go into his toy robot. His heart was not into it and he sighed and put packed everything up and closed the box. He set it down on the nightstand. He was not in a very good mood; Gillian was off for the next two days. He would not be seeing her and this depressed him. He leaned back against his bed and tucked one arm under his head. He had on a white hospital gown and white pants, his sheet and blanket were folded at the foot of his bed. There was a knock on the door but he didn't feel like responding to it. He simply directed his attention to the window.

"Well fine then don't let me come in."

He heard a familiar voice and turned to see his friend poking her head into the room. "Hi, I thought you were off today."

Gillian opened the door and came into the room. She had on black jean shorts and a peach tank top. "I am."

Mac moved his bed so he could sit up. "You came to see me?"

"Sure." She had a brown leather purse and she sat down in the chair close to his bed and sat down. "I couldn't leave you here all by yourself with no one to talk to."

MacGyver smiled at her. "I sure could use the company."

Gillian unzipped her purse. "I also came by to give you a kiss."

Both of his eyebrows went up. "Pardon?"

She reached into her purse and took a bag of chocolate kisses; she opened the bag and tossed him one. "See, a kiss."

"Oh, I thought you meant the other kind. " Mac cleared his throat as he unwrapped the foil and popped the candy into his mouth. "What am I going to do with a whole bag of candy kisses?"

Gillian reached into her purse again and took out a pack of playing cards. "Do you play poker?" She wiggled her eyebrows at him. 

The hospital tray was between the two people, serving as a card table. Gillian was in her chair and Mac was sitting sideways on his bed. There were two piles of chocolate kisses on both sides of the table. They were playing poker and the whopping sum of 5 chocolate kisses was at stake. Mac was looking at his cards, he had a pair of 10's, and a three, a six and a 9.  

Gillian checked her hand, she had a pair of queen's, an ace, a 5 and a Jack. She laid her cards face down and picked up the deck. "How many cards?"

MacGyver put the three useless cards down on the tray. "Give me three please."

She dealt him three cards and took two for herself. She put the deck down and picked up her cards.

Mac had received a pair of kings, he had a good hand but his face remained passive. "Okay, I'll bet 5 kisses." He carefully slid 5 kisses into the center of the tray with his left hand.

Gillian had received nothing useful, nevertheless she nodded. "All right, I'll see your 5 and raise you 5 more." She slid ten chocolate kisses into the pot.

MacGyver was studying the young woman, he didn't believe her. "Okay your 5 and I'll raise you 5 more." He counted out 10 kisses and put them into the pot. 

The young woman smiled. "10 kisses, that is an _awfully steep bet, I hope your cards are good ones." She put 5 kisses into the pot. "I call."_

Mac showed her his hand. "2 pairs, Kings and tens."

Gillian squeezed her eyes shut as she showed him her hand. "All I've got is a pair of queens."

Mac saw her cards and shook his head. "All those kisses for a lousy pair of ladies?" He started laughing as he slid his pot full of chocolate kisses over onto his pile. "Gill you don't bluff very well."

Gillian readjusted herself in the uncomfortable chair, she crossed her legs under her and picked up all of the cards. "I rarely bluff."

"I can see why." He unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into his mouth.

"Hey don't eat the money!"

"Sorry." He ran his fingers through his hair and waited for the next hand to be dealt.

Gillian had only a few kisses left, MacGyver had beaten her in 4 straight hands. She was normally a very good poker player but she had finally met her match. She sighed, all she had was a pair of aces, she didn't even have enough to bet with.

MacGyver was grinning; he was having a great time taking all of the chocolate kisses from the nurse. He had a full house in his hands, a pair of queens and three jacks.

"So what are you betting?"

The young woman sighed. "All I have is three kisses, that will have to do." She looked at her friend's large pile of candies. "Can I borrow 10 kisses?"

He shook his head. "No way!"

"Please?" She was fluttering her eyelashes at him, trying to look desperate.

Mac sighed. "I just can't _give them to you; you have to give me something in return."_

Gillian looked puzzled. "Like what?"

The blond man smiled wickedly. "Well, we _are playing for kisses; if you want 10 of my candies it's going to cost you a real one."_

The off duty nurse raised her eyebrows. "A real one?"

"Yeah."

Gillian sighed. "Okay, if that's your price."

She stood up and walked around the tray; she pushed it aside and stood in front of her friend. She sat down on the edge of the bed and turned towards him. She reached out and put both of her hands on his face. Her touch on his face was very gentle. 

They were both looking into each other's eyes as Gillian leaned forward and covered his mouth with hers. She was only going to give him a peck but it turned into something more than that. Their mouths moved against each other, their breaths exchanging. Gillian wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss turned deeper. Mac put his hands on the young woman's back, moving her closer against him. When the kiss finally ended they were both breathless. 

Mac was breathing hard as he looked at her. "You can have all of my candy."

Gillian could feel that her face was red; she wanted so much to kiss him again. She started to lean towards him when there was a knock at the door. She turned towards it and sat back down in her chair. 

MacGyver wiped his hand down his mouth and cleared his throat. "Come in."

The door opened and Pete came into the room, he had on a black suit on. He smiled when he saw his friend. "Hi." He saw how strange the two people looked. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Gillian smiled at the stout man she had been introduced to the last time he had visited. "No Pete, we were just playing cards."

MacGyver nodded. "Yeah that was all we were doing." 

They both looked at each other, they weren't just playing cards and they both knew it.

Another 7 days went by, Mac was progressing nicely but Dr. Brackett still wasn't letting him get out of bed. This was something MacGyver was really hoping to do and the news he couldn't had made him quiet and sullen. Gillian was pulling a double shift; she was covering for a friend. She didn't mind, it meant spending more time with her friend. She had checked on him several times during the day, she had noticed how withdrawn he was.  She had been told the reason by Dr. Brackett and the young woman shook her head, no wonder he was unhappy. Gillian wanted to do something to cheer up her friend but she didn't know what. 

The young woman was sitting on at her station, she had her computer there and next to it was a small Miss Piggy doll. The little doll was dressed in a red Christmas dress that had a matching fur hood that went over her head. The baby pig had a large pair of blue eyes, blond curly hair and a sweet expression on her face. She had gotten the doll last year from a fast food place for Christmas; it had always made her feel better when she was feeling down. She wondered if it would do the same for her friend. 

Gillian checked her watch; it was almost her lunch time. She decided to go out for her lunch.

MacGyver was lying on his back, his eyes were closed. He had eaten his lunch and had put the lid back on the tray and had pushed it away from the bed. The door to his room opened and Gillian came in, she had her hands behind her back.

"Hi."

Mac turned his head to look at her, a frown on his face. "Hi."

The young woman was in purple scrubs, her hair in a pony tail. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the side of it. "How are you doing today?"

"Just peachy, this bed and I are attached for at least one more week."

Gillian nodded. "I know I heard, I'm sorry Mac."

MacGyver shrugged. "It doesn't matter, it's not like I'm going anywhere even if I could walk around."

She sighed, he sounded so down that it tore at her heart.  "I brought you something."

"I hope it's a new arm and a new leg."

"No, but I promise it will make you feel better."

She brought her hands from around her back and showed him a small baby Kermit the Frog doll. The little green doll had on a Christmas hat and a red plaid vest. "He reminds me of you so I got him."

MacGyver creased his brow as he took the little frog doll and looked at it. "He does? I had no idea I was green and full of warts."

Gillian laughed. "He is not full of warts, and besides that isn't why I say he reminds me of you."

"Then why do you say that Kermit the Frog reminds you of me."

The young woman blushed. "Well because Kermit is sweet and he's cute."

MacGyver saw her red face, it made him smile. "You think I'm sweet?"

Gillian could feel her face start to cool off. "Yeah I do. I have a Miss Piggy doll and she always cheers me up so I thought that Kermit might do the same for you."

Mac looked at the face of the little frog doll, it was cute and the fact that his friend had thought of him lifted his aching spirit a little. He sighed and held the little doll to his chest. "Thank you."

Gillian saw he seemed a little happier. "You're welcome." She touched the little doll's hat. "Does he make you feel better?"

MacGyver held the doll out and looked at Kermit. "Believe it or not, he does."

Gillian smiled. "Good, but you have to promise you won't _ever get rid of him."_

He lifted his left hand up. "I'll always keep Kermit, I promise."

It was Christmas Eve and MacGyver was out on his very first walk. His leg was put in a walking cast and he held onto Gillian's arm tightly as he carefully walked down the hall.

"How do you feel?" Gillian had one hand on his back, steadying her patient.

"Good, it feels good to get out of that room." Mac was in a dark blue robe and dark blue pajama bottoms; he had slippers on his feet that shuffled against the tile as he walked.

"I'm glad Dr. Brackett finally let you walk." She was in teal green scrubs that had teddy bears and Christmas trees on them. Her hair was in a braid that went down her back.

"Me too." They walked to the end of the hall; they were right near his room. 

MacGyver smiled at his nurse. "Can we go one more time? Please?"

The nurse sighed. "Well, you aren't supposed to do it, but I suppose it would be all right."

They turned back around and once more headed down the hall.

"That was great; I never thought I would be so happy to go for a simple walk." Mac carefully walked over to his bed and took off his robe. He had on a white t-shirt underneath and sat down on the edge of the bed. 

Gillian took the robe from him and hung back in his closet. She checked her watch, she was expecting someone. "I'll be right back Mac, okay?"

"Sure, take your time, I'll be here."

The nurse disappeared and Mac slowly scooted over on his bed and leaned against the headboard. He saw the calendar on the wall, today was Christmas Eve but he didn't feel very festive.  He sighed and picked up his Kermit doll from the nightstand, he held the little doll to his chest. 

The door opened and Gillian came back into the room, the woman had a large smile on her face. "I have returned."

Mac smiled a little. "Oh good."

She saw the way his face was, pensive and sad, she sat down on the bed and touched his hand. "Hey now, no frowning, it's against holiday law."

The blond man turned his head to look at her. "Are you going to turn me in to the Christmas cops?"

Gillian shook her head; she reached out and brushed a few stray hairs back from his forehead. "Now would I do that?"

MacGyver shrugged. "Maybe."

Gillian looked at him sideways. "I wouldn't turn you in." She looked back at the door. "But I think I know of a way to cheer you up."

"Oh you do huh? I doubt that."

The nurse grinned. "Don't be so sure MacScrooge, close your eyes."

MacGyver sighed, he closed his eyes. "They're closed."

Gillian leaned forward and waved her hand over his eyes, when she was satisfied they were closed she got up from the bed and opened the door. She took someone by the hand and led him into the room.

"Okay Mac, open your eyes."

"This is ridiculous Gill; nothing can cheer me up right now." MacGyver opened his eyes and saw his grandfather standing near the door. The older man had on his brown jacket and brown hat. He smiled at his grandson.

"Hello Bud, got yourself all busted up?"

Mac's eyes were huge, he sat up slowly. "Harry… what are you doing here?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Your friend here told me you were laid up and couldn't come visit me so she arranged for me to come out here."

MacGyver got up slowly from the bed; he walked on very shaky legs over to his grandfather and hugged him as best he could with one arm. He closed his eyes as he did so. "I'm glad you did."

"Me too Bud, me too." Harry hugged his grandson.

Gillian was grinning as she watched her friend and his grandfather. It made her feel good to see MacGyver so happy.  "Well I'll leave you alone now." She turned and opened the door to leave.

"Gillian wait a minute."

MacGyver let go of Harry and hobbled over to the nurse. He stood in front of her and smiled. "I can't believe you did this for me. I don't know what do say except for Thank You."

The young woman shrugged. "You don't have to thank me Mac; I did it so you would have a nice Christmas with your grandfather." She licked her lips and pressed them together. "It's important to spend as much time with your family as possible; you never know when they'll be taken from you."

Mac nodded. "You're right, but you still did something very special for me, I'll never forget it."

He took one more step closer to her and put his right hand to her cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned in close to her pressing his lips against hers gently. He leaned back and smiled at her when she opened her eyes. Gillian returned his smile, she put her hands to his face and they kissed once more.

"I better let you go visit with Harry."

MacGyver nodded his head. "Will I see you later?"

"You can be sure of it."

They were looking at each other as Gillian opened the door and closed it behind her.

The first week of January came and MacGyver was pronounced 100 percent healed. He had spent the morning in X-ray.  The radiologist had taken many pictures of his arm and leg, Dr. Brackett wanted to make sure both appendages were thoroughly fixed. Mac had also gotten his casts cut off. His arm and leg were powdery white from the plaster and lack of sun exposure. Gillian was in the room, she was in white scrubs with yellow bananas all over them. She was fixing her friend's bed when the door opened and an orderly wheeled him into the room.

"Hey Gill, check it out!"

Mac had on white hospital pants and a blue hospital gown on. He showed the nurse his arm and his leg. "Look I'm not half man half plaster any more."

Gillian nodded. "Good, I'm glad, what did Dr. Brackett say?"

MacGyver put the brakes on his wheelchair and slowly stood up. His leg felt a little strange without the cast but nevertheless he walked over to the bed and sat down on it. "They are double checking the X-rays; he said if all is healed I can go home today."

"Oh, that's good." Gillian turned away from him; the truth was she didn't want her friend to go home. "Well I have paper work to do."

"Okay, will you be back to say goodbye to me later on?"

Gillian swallowed hard and faced her friend; she was trying not to let the sadness show on her face. "Yeah, I'll be back." The young woman opened the door and quickly left the room.

It was 3 o'clock and Gillian came back into the room, she was holding her Miss Piggy doll in her hands. MacGyver had put on a pair of jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. He smiled when he saw the nurse had come into the room. There was a small backpack on his bed, that was all he had on him when he had gotten into the accident. 

"Well I'm ready to go home."

"Yeah I can see that." She showed him the Miss Piggy doll. "I wanted to give you this."

Mac took the doll from her and smiled. "She's cute, but I can't take your doll from you Gill."

The young woman got it back from him. She was looking at him, trying not to get upset. "Well I guess this is goodbye."  
She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm glad I got to meet you Mac."

MacGyver too felt sad, he had come to see her as a very special friend. "Me too." He touched her hand and kissed her on the cheek.

Gillian cleared her throat. "Bye."

She quickly turned and left the room before he saw how upset she really was. 

MacGyver was in his houseboat, he had been home from the hospital for two days. He was lying on his bed looking up through the skylight. His little Kermit the Frog doll he had gotten from Gillian was beside him.

"Hey Bud?" 

He heard his grandfather and he sighed. "Yeah Harry I'm here."

The older man climbed the stairs and saw his grandson stretched out on his bed with his arms tucked behind his head. "What are you doing up here?"

Mac lifted his head and looked at his grandfather. "I'm just thinking."

"I bet I know about who." Harry sat down on the other side of the queen size bed. "You're thinking about that pretty little red haired girl aren't you?"

His grandson put his head back down. "You always were a quick guy Harry."

Harry leaned back on his elbow and crossed his ankles. "No not really, I'm not quick about a lot of things Bud but I do know someone smitten when I see one."

MacGyver slowly turned his head and looked at the grey haired man. "Smitten? Who's smitten?"

"You are."

He scoffed and shook his head. "I am not."

"Oh yeah?" Harry picked up the Kermit the Frog doll that was on the other pillow. "Then why have you been keeping this little frog with you?"

"I promised her I would keep it." He took the doll from him and set it on his nightstand.

Harry shook his head. "You can't even admit it can you?"

MacGyver didn't say a word; he simply looked up at the skylight. "I don't know what you are talking about Harry."

"Then you are a fool." Harry got up from the bed; the tone he had used was an angry one.

"What's the matter with you?" Mac sat up when he heard his grandfather's voice.

Harry turned around and looked at his grandson. "What's the matter with _you_?" He ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't get you Bud, I _know_ you better than you think. I know you are in love with that nurse but you are too stubborn to admit it. Why? What is the big deal? Do you think I am going to be around forever? And when I'm gone who is going to take care of you and be there for you?"

MacGyver got up from the bed. "Why are you talking like that? You still got a lot of years left!"

Harry was looking at his grandson seriously. "Tell me Bud, why won't you admit you love that red headed girl?"

Mac ran his hands down his face and shook out his head. "I can't…" He turned his back to his grandfather.

Harry grabbed him by the arm and spun him around. "Bull, now you stand there and tell me the reason."

A pair of blue eyes was piercing into a pair of dark ones. MacGyver swallowed hard. "I can't admit how I feel about her."

"Why?"

Mac closed his eyes briefly. "I'm going to end up alone Harry, that is something I have always known. There isn't anyone on this planet that can handle the kind of complications that come with being in my life."

Harry sighed. "You don't give yourself enough credit Bud." He put his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "You know, you sound like me about a million years ago when I met Celia. I loved her from the first moment I ever saw her. But with the construction work I did and always being on the road I didn't think I had much of a life to offer her. I was wrong Bud, despite how hard it was at times to be away, I knew she would always be there waiting for me when I got home." He squeezed his shoulder. "Don't tell me you enjoy coming back to this empty little houseboat?"

MacGyver shook his head slowly. "I hate it." He ran his hand across his eyes. "Sometimes I get so lonely…" He lowered his head.

Harry nodded and gently touched his grandson's head. "I know Bud, I know." He stroked the blond hair. "Listen to me, don't be afraid. You go back to that hospital and go see that little girl, you tell her the truth and see what happens."

Mac finally lifted his head. "What if she doesn't feel the same way?"

Harry reached over and picked up the Kermit the Frog doll and handed it to his grandson. "Somehow, I don't think that will be a problem."

Mac was standing outside his Boss' door; he took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he knocked on it.

_"Come in."_

He opened the door and walked into the office, he saw his Boss in a dark grey suit sitting behind his desk. "Hey!" The bald man smiled when he saw his friend. "When did you get out?"

"Three days ago, I've just been taking it easy."

Mac sat down in the leather chair in front of Pete's desk and put his feet up on other chair. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. He had on his black leather jacket over it. "I never got a chance to thank you for my Christmas gift. The John Wayne movie collection was thoughtful. I'll probably have them all watched by the end of the week."

Pete smiled. "Good I'm glad, I'm sorry I didn't see you on Christmas Day Mac."

"Don't worry about it, I had Harry there."

His Boss looked surprised. "Really? He made it down? That's great."

Mac nodded his head. "He's still here in fact."

"Good, I'm glad you and he get to spend some time together."

"Yeah, say Pete." He put his feet down and leaned forward. "You remember how Lance was getting on your case about keeping us Operatives well trained in all matters?"

Pete stopped his writing and looked at his friend. "Yeah, what about it?"

Mac was fingering the edge of his friend's desk. "Well I sort of had an idea on how to do that."

"Okay, what?"

"How about we get a nurse in here to teach the Operatives about First Aid and CPR?"

The Director of Operations leaned back in his chair. "Really? And you think this would help out in the field?"

"Sure, in case one of us gets hurt we will know what to do in case a hospital isn't so close by."

Pete nodded, he liked the idea. "All right, I'll see if I can find an RN to volunteer."

MacGyver smiled. "Oh I think I know of someone who would be willing to help us out."

Gillian was in a pair of maroon colored scrubs; her hair was put in a pony tail. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out into the hall. She walked up to a desk and smiled at the young blond woman sitting behind it.

"May I help you?"

The nurse nodded. "Hi , I have a 2 o'clock appointment with Mr. Thornton?"

Sandra looked at her. "May I have your name please?"

"Gillian MacKenzie."

Sandra picked up the phone and pressed the intercom button. "Mr. Thornton? A Miss MacKenzie is here to see you? Yes Sir, I will."

The blond woman hung up the phone and walked over to the door, she opened it. "Right this way Miss MacKenzie, go on in."

"Thank you."

Gillian walked through the door and Sandra closed it behind her. She saw Pete stand up and stretch out his hand. "Hi Gillian, how are you?"

"I'm good Pete, thanks."

The two people shook hands and Pete motioned to his couch. "I believe you are already acquainted with my number one Operative agent." 

Gillian turned and saw MacGyver sitting on the couch, her eyes grew wide. "MacGyver…" She could feel her heart start to race.

He stood up and smiled at her. "Hi Gillian."

"Okay let's get down to business." Pete sat back down and started explaining why they had asked her to come. Gillian sat down in front of Pete's desk and Mac joined her in the other chair. She was only half listening to him, she was that surprised to see her friend.

Pete had finished explaining everything and the young woman had agreed to teach a First Aid and CPR class. The Director of Operations excused himself to go check on the availability of a free room. As soon as the door was closed Gillian faced her friend.

"How are you doing?"

Mac nodded his head. "Good." He was looking down at his hands, playing with them.

"I'm glad, is Harry still in town?"

"Yeah, he will probably be here another week or two."

The young woman cleared her throat. "I'm really glad to see you Mac."

MacGyver started to open his mouth but just then Pete came back into the room. "Guess what, I found a free room."

Gillian smiled. "Oh good, that's great news." She glanced at her friend briefly, wondering what he would have said if Pete hadn't come back so fast.

The class was a great success; the 12 Phoenix Foundation operatives had spent the entire day learning how to take care of wounds and how to not only perform CPR but the Heimlich Maneuver as well. Gillian had been a little intimidated at first; all of the Operatives were men. She simply kept her focus on MacGyver and was able to teach the all male class without any problems. 

The class was over at 5, Mac wanted to talk to Gillian but she got swamped by his classmates. They were asking her questions and he noticed a few of them were trying to get her phone number. He sighed, he really wanted to talk to her but he saw very little hope of that. Mac had come to the class in blue sweat pants, a light grey t-shirt and his leather jacket. He had his jacket in his hands. He smiled as he slung it back over his chair, he simply left it and went home.

Gillian sighed when the last man with a question had left. She cleaned up the room as best she could, stacking all of the blue mats that had been scattered all over the floor back into a nice neat pile. She was disappointed that once again something had prevented her from talking to MacGyver. She started fixing the chairs when she saw a black leather jacket hanging on the back of a chair. She picked it up; she remembered seeing Mac sitting in the same chair. She carefully folded it up and smiled, she had to return his jacket to him.

MacGyver was alone in his houseboat; Harry had decided to go home early. It had been a hard goodbye but Mac knew he would be going to Colorado the next chance he got. He was sitting on his bed waiting for Gillian to find his jacket. He knew that the moment she did she would be coming over. He looked at the green digital display on his nightstand clock, it read 6 10. There was a knock on his door and he could feel his heart start to beat hard.

"Door's open."

Gillian turned the doorknob to the wooden door with glass panels and stepped into the houseboat. "Mac?"

"Up here."

She walked into the living room and looked up the round staircase. "Can I come up there?"

"Sure."

The young woman had his jacket in her hands as she made her way up the spiral stairs. She reached the top and saw him sitting on the bed. "Hi."

MacGyver licked his lips and pressed them together. "Hi."

"You left your jacket."

He got off the bed and stood in front of her; he reached out and gently took it. "Thanks."

He draped it over a nearby chair.

Gillian cleared her throat. "Well I guess I'll go then."

She started to leave when MacGyver called out her name. She turned around and faced him. "You're just going to take off again, like you did at the hospital?"

Gillian swallowed hard; it was time to tell him the truth. "I didn't want you to see how upset I was."

"I was upset too, I didn't want to go." He reached out and took her hands.

Gillian's knees were shaking as she gently squeezed his hands. "Me either." She looked into his face, her dark eyes focusing their attention on his. "I want to tell you something but I'm afraid."

Mac nodded. "Me too, but you don't have to say a word."

He tugged on her hands, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her, putting his arms around her neck as he did so. 

Gillian wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands on his back. The kiss ended and they held each other. "I missed you Gillian, so much I didn't know what to do."

"I missed you too." She closed her eyes and buried her head in his shoulder. 

They let go of each other and Gillian touched his face gently. "I'm in love with you Mac, and if you tell me you don't feel the same way I'll walk out that door and never bother you again."

MacGyver swallowed hard, he wanted to tell her that he _did feel the same way. The words were on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't make them come out. He finally thought about what Harry had told him and took a deep breath. "I love you too."_

Gillian grinned, her eyes growing soft. "You do?"

Mac laughed a little, he couldn't believe he had gotten the words out. "Yeah, I do."

They hugged once more, enjoying the feel of each other.

"So what do we do now?"

MacGyver pulled back from her and touched her face. "Well…" He motioned with his head to other side of the room; Gillian turned around and saw the Kermit doll sitting on a small shelf all by itself.  "I think the first you should do is bring Miss Piggy over here. There is room on that shelf for her too."

Gillian smiled. "So is that the only place there is extra room?"

Mac slowly shook his head. "No, there is room in this houseboat for you." He picked up her hand and gently placed it on his chest, over his heart. "And there is room _here_ for you too."

Gillian put her other hand on Mac's face and glided her hand down it. "There's room in my heart for you too." She closed her eyes and gently kissed him…

"See, that would have worked too." 

Gillian had her feet up on the coffee table; she was looking at her husband. 

"Yeah I guess you're right." MacGyver opened the dome and handed the baby Miss Piggy doll to his wife. Gillian picked up the baby Kermit the Frog doll and handed it to her husband. He laughed as he held the frog doll. He turned and looked at his wife. "We could have met like that."

Gillian nodded. "We would have met some way; it was our destiny to end up being together."

She gently put her doll back on the wooden base and took the frog doll from her husband and set it beside hers. She lifted the glass dome and put it back over them.  "There."

MacGyver realized that she was right; they were destined to find one another no matter the circumstances.  He reached down between them and took his wife by the hand.  "We need to find another place for them, they were buried on that mantle and that dome is awfully heavy.  I think it may be too heavy for that shelf."

Gillian squeezed her husband's hand. "Okay, but where are we going to put them?"

Mac smiled at his wife. "I think I got an idea."

It was dark in the MacGyver house, the lights had been turned off, the doors have been locked and the couple was in bed. Gillian was lying on her side pressed against her husband, sharing his pillow with him. MacGyver was on his back, he had his hand touching his wife's arm, she had it across his waist. The couple was sleeping deeply; the only sound in the room was their gentle breathing.  There was something in the room that shimmered when the moonlight streaming in through their blinds hit it. It filled the whole room with sparkles, giving it a sort of magical quality to it. What was causing this was very simple; sitting on top of the headboard above the couple's heads was the glass dome…


End file.
